Teaching Resources
Tools you can use to strengthen your expertise as a teacher
Tools for Teachers
Below, you'll find a list of internal and external teaching resources we've compiled to support your teaching development. We are happy to recommend additional reading from online sources or from our teaching library in Hill Hall during an individual consultation.
Enhance your teaching
We recommend approaching your courses from a backward design perspective, an approach championed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Backward design in a three-step process that involves...
- Identifying your desired outcomes, or course learning objectives
- Determining what constitutes acceptable evidence that these goals have been met, or how you will assess students
- Planning your learning experiences and instruction, or determining what knowledge and skills students will need and what strategies you will use to impart that knowledge and those skills
Your syllabus should outline the learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional strategies of the course both for yourself and for your students. It should also outline any additional policies or procedures that are relevant to your learning context.
Please click the following link to download and view the 2023 CETL Syllabus Template Suggested Language, which includes suggested language for a range of course policies as well as information on relevant university requirements and links to external resources.
For additional resources on syllabus design, please consult How to Create a Syllabus, by Kevin Gannon and the Accessible Syllabus website. Helpful resources for maximizing accessibility can be found at the University of Mississippi Accessibility Solutions website.
The University of Mississippi embraces its public flagship mission of inspiring and educating our diverse and vibrant community where all individuals are able to intellectually, socially and culturally thrive through transformative experiences on our campus and beyond. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is committed to helping instructors enhance diversity, mitigate inequity, and foster inclusion in their classrooms. Many of our programs address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning, and we regularly partner with the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement to offer workshops on Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Practices. To register for these workshops, visit my.olemiss.edu -> Employee -> Tools and Resources -> Training Workshops -> Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Practices -> Register.
We also recommend the following resources for inclusive teaching:
- How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive, by Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan
- The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching, by Isis Artze-Vega, Flower Darby, Bryan Dewsbury, and Mays Imad
- Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, by Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan
- What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching, by Tracie Addy et al.
Designing a syllabus?
The CETL Syllabus Template includes suggested language for a range of course policies as well as information on relevant university requirements and links to external resources.
Showcase your teaching
For a comprehensive directory of conferences on college and university teaching, visit the database maintained by Kennesaw State University's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
CETL Travel Grants are available to support UM faculty’s and instructional staff’s attendance to conferences and workshops devoted to teaching and learning in higher education. Please click here for more information about our Teaching Development Grants.
- Elsie M. Hood Award
- St Amand Award
Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
- Johnny W. Lott Graduate Instructor Award
- Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
- The Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of First-Year Students
- Howell Family Outstanding Teacher of the Year
- Humanities Teacher of the Year
School of Law
- Ben A. Hardy Faculty Excellence Award
- Outstanding Law Professor Award
- Clinical Sciences Teacher of the Year
- Pharmacy Teacher of the Year
School of Business Administration
- Outstanding Teacher in the School of Business Award
- School of Accountancy Outstanding Teacher Award
School of Engineering
- School of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year
School of Applied Sciences
- Thomas A. Crowe Outstanding Faculty Award
The University Catalog contains annual winners of teaching awards offered across the university. Select the most recent catalog and navigate to "Distinguished Faculty & Staff Awards."
Additional Resources
You can find more resources, along with recaps of CETL events, on our blog.